Wise Words is our new interview series talking to some of mountain biking’s most switched on people.
We’ll ask our short list of questions to a heap of influential, inspiring and outspoken people that we feel are driving the direct of mountain biking today. Some will make you think, some will make you laugh, some will be plain dumb, some will inspire you to better yourself and your riding. We hope!
Second in our series is photographer extraordinaire, Mr. Duncan Philpott.
There isn’t an awful lot to do with bikes and riding them that Duncan Philpott hasn’t shot, and some of our all time favourites are his.
After a stint shooting for various Sheffield-based brands while cutting his teeth on the World Cup race circuit, Duncan is now one of the official photographers for the Enduro World Series, as well as fitting heaps of other projects in in between.
Photo by Irmo Keizer.
How would your closest riding buddies describe you to someone who has never met you?
I dread to think… Its always the closest buddies that would probably spread the greatest of fibs and tales… There was certainly one bizarre rumour that spread last year for their entertainment. Ha.
What thing or things have you bought in the last year that had the biggest effect on your life as a mountain biker / cyclist / person that works in the bike industry?
Is it lame to say the my bike has? I guess it is the fundamental part of all things cycling and after my previous bike giving up the ghost in a cracking fashion I had a change up of steed. I’d never anticipated the confidence boost and sheer fun I have on this thing day to day, its shorter travel but a better size and suits me to the ground riding at the EWS for work and on the less tasking local loops at home.
I guess as well as that a recent set of flights to Spain to bikepack through the mountains for the whole of December made me realise how much more there was to cycling than just “hero turns and gnar”. Although, there was some of that, think Spanish TP equivalent and when you do get to those sections they feel like holy grails of singletrack. Which isn’t hating on the rest of the riding, it was all enjoyable!
What unusual habits do you have as a bike rider?
Always wearing my helmet wonky? Maybe I just have a slanted head, I’m convinced I put it on straight!
Photo by Sven Martin.
What piece of advice do you think every mountain bike rider should hear? And what piece should they ignore?
Tough one, I don’t want to echo earlier pieces but making the move to flats and persevering with them for coming on two years now has done more for my riding than I would have given it merit had someone tried to tell me to do so! I just thought it would be more practical for hobbling around taking photos! Turns out riding bikes clipped in since day 1 because you grew up with flat un-technical single track mile munching through the woods wasn’t the best footing for good bike technique…
As for advice people should ignore… Hmm I don’t know… I would always be sceptical of “day length” numbers from any race organiser! (bar the EWS of course!)
If you could go back and re-ride one day from your life so far, where/what/when/who would it be? Would you change anything?
I’ve been fortunate to have some incredible days of bike riding, however about 90% of those have been for work and you never really get to focus on the trail. So I reckon the more familiar home trails with a good crew of people, we don’t all get to ride together as much as we should. I think I’d choose any of those days.
Photo by Sam McQueen.
What have you wasted the most time on in your life as a rider or bike industry career that you wished you’d given up years ago?
Ahhh.. It will be interesting to see what the perspective is on social media in 10 years time. There’s been a fair bit of time invested in that although less and less of it now. Every now and then you get a job that directly stems from it and other times you just find yourself mindlessly wasting time (usually when its raining and horrible outside).
How do you motivate yourself when you’re struggling or lacking inspiration?
My friends are always a good source of riding inspiration. Sometimes you slip out of a riding routine, and it could be a couple of weeks before you get dragged out on the bike again and that one ride is all it takes to get motivated again. From about an hour in everything is awesome, regardless of conditions, trails etc and you just wonder why you haven’t ridden bikes more recently.
On the photo front, there are some many incredible sources of inspiration, inside the industry and out of it. Sometimes you feel a little burned out at the end of the season and then you stumble across somebody’s amazing personal project and the ideas just start buzzing and off you go again.
What single and specific thing about riding bicycles do you gain the most happiness from?
I don’t know what it is… Being outdoors be it running, riding, fishing, hiking, taking photos or whatever makes me happy. The bike does bring an extra element to it though. Even if your ride wasn’t on exhilarating trails or anywhere particularly exciting, you never get home and wish you hadn’t gone out on your bike.
Photo by Matthew Delorme.
What single thing would you like to erase from cycling history from the last year?
All the rain at the EWS… That would make my camera gear much happier. Ha! #EnduroWetSeries
What single thing would you like to make happen in the cycling world in the next year?
I wouldn’t mind a revisit on access rights for bikes off the UK, that could be rather nifty…
Who else should we ask these questions to?
Andy Mckenna, what a guy! And a man with some interesting answers I’m sure.
Check out Duncan’s website for his latest portfolio here, and keep tabs on him on Instagram here.
You can catch our opening Wise Words with Alan Milway here.
Photo by Sven Martin.
